


Avatar: The New Age - Book One: Empire

by AugustusAurelius



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Bending (Avatar), Next Avatar, Post-Avatar: The Legend of Korra, Post-Canon, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-27
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-10 13:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6987715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AugustusAurelius/pseuds/AugustusAurelius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One hundred and sixty-eight years have passed since the end of the Hundred Years War. The world has spent the past seventeen years fighting a new war: the Four Nations war, between the United Fire and Earth Republic and the Water and Air Confederacy. Every Nation is desperate to find the new Avatar in the hopes that they will turn the tables in their own favor. A new form of bending has appeared, Energybending, and its practitioners have other plans for the new Avatar...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The End

**The End**

_One day, the world began to end._

  
_Long ago, the Four Nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked._

  
_Only the Avatar, master of all four Elements, could stop them. And he did. The Avatar helped rebuild the damage done over the long Hundred Year War for the next fifty years of his life._

  
_After the death of Avatar Aang, the Avatar Cycle continued. The new Avatar was a Waterbender named Korra. She fought many battles in her lifetime in the name of the new Republic City. She became a symbol of harmony and peace for the entire world._

  
_But years passed, and the Avatar grew old. Fire Lady Izumi, daughter of the great Fire Lord Zuko, died of mysterious circumstances after fifty-three years of her peaceful reign. Eager and suspiciously prepared, her eldest son Ursan took the throne._

  
_Ursan was a ruthless and brilliant Fire Lord, and he began to plot with the Earth King Taishua. Over a span of twenty years, the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdoms began to amass their armies in key offensive positions._

  
_Avatar Korra tried in her old age to convince the Fire and Earth Nations to put down their weapons and return to their ancestral homes, but neither Nation listened._

  
_The Water Tribes sent emissary after emissary to the Air Nomads, pleading for assistance in the coming battles. It took two years of pleading and begging, but the still-growing Airbender population agreed to join forces against the impending Fire and Earth Nation attack._

  
_Twenty years before the death of Avatar Korra, a strange thing had begun to happen. It was similar to the sudden Airbending development in her early years. This time, people began to glow and could shoot light out of their bodies._

  
_They named it Energybending, in honor of Avatar Aang and his defeat of the Fire Lord Ozai with the powerful technique. However, the Energybenders cared nothing for the Avatar. They cared nothing for balance. They rented themselves out as elite mercenaries and bodyguards and tacticians to the highest bidders._

  
_Years passed, and vicious unofficial skirmishes began to break out along every Nation’s border. After the death of Avatar Korra, the war broke out in full. One hundred and fifty years after the end of the Hundred Year War, the Four Nations War began._

  
_With the death of Avatar Korra, the world immediately began searching for the new Earthbending Avatar. It was a race to see who could find and claim the child for their cause first._

  
_One day, the world began to end. And it’s still ending._


	2. Timeline of Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A timeline of events for readers

Timeline of Events Prior to Book One: Empire

_Thank you to the Avatar Wikia for providing information leading up to 174 AG. (<http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/History_of_the_World_of_Avatar>)_

BG: Before Air Nomad Genocide

AG: After Air Nomad Genocide

 

12 BG

  * Avatar Roku of the Fire Nation is killed
  * Avatar Aang of the Air Nomads is born



 

0 AG

  * Avatar Aang freezes himself in ice using the Avatar State
  * The Fire Nation slaughters the entire Air Nomad population, sans Avatar Aang, using Sozin’s Comet
  * The Hundred Year War begins



 

99 AG

  * Avatar Aang is awakened from one hundred years of suspended animation by Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe



 

100 AG

  * Avatar Aang defeats Phoenix King Ozai, declaring an end to the Hundred Year War
  * Fire Lord Zuko ascends the Royal Throne



 

110 AG

  * Avatar Aang and Prince Zuko establish the United Republic of Nations, and declare and found the capital as Republic City



 

153 AG

  * Avatar Aang of the Air Nomads dies
  * Avatar Korra of the Water Tribe is born



 

167 AG

  * Fire Lord Zuko passes the title of Fire Lord to his daughter, Izumi



 

170 AG

  * Avatar Korra goes to Republic City
  * The Equalist Revolution is put down



 

171 AG

  * Asami Sato assumes control of Future Industries as CEO
  * Avatar Korra opens the Southern and Northern spirit portals
  * The Air Nomads are revitalized with the Airbending phenomenon
  * Earth Queen Hou-Ting is assassinated, throwing the Earth Kingdom into chaos
  * The Red Lotus Revolution is put down
  * Kuvira assembles an army to reunite the Earth Kingdom



 

174 AG

  * Kuvira’s Earth Empire is defeated by Avatar Korra
  * A spirit portal opens in the heart of Republic City
  * Avatar Korra and Asami Sato enter a romantic relationship
  * The Earth Kingdom disbands into independent city-states



 

220 AG

  * Fire Lord Izumi dies of mysterious causes, Fire Lord Ursan ascends the throne



 

221 AG

  * Avatar Korra asks the spirits to return to the Spirit World so as to prevent them from interfering in any upcoming conflict, or from being targeted in such a conflict
  * Avatar Korra closes all three spirit portals



 

225 AG

  * Avatar Korra and Asami Sato adopt Shihon, a teenage nonbender



 

230 AG

  * The Energybending Phenomenon occurs, granting all nonbenders the ability to Energybend



 

235 AG

  * Asami Sato and Future Industries fund the creation of the Regia, a cultural center for all Energybenders, in the former location of the Republic City spirit portal
  * The Council of Masters is formed as a governing body for the Energybending peoples
  * The Earth Kingdom is reformed under the leadership of Earth King Taishua



 

237 AG

  * Asami Sato dies
  * Shihon assumes the title of CEO of Future Industries
  * Secret construction of Elysium, an underground city for Energybenders, begins underneath Republic City
  * The Water and Air Confederacy is created
  * The Water and Air Confederacy’s special operations division, the Mist, is established
  * The United Fire and Earth Republic is established



 

245 AG

  * The First Assembly of Energybenders meets, resolving to take no position on any upcoming conflicts, and to allow Energybenders to take whichever side in the conflict they wish
  * Sato Experimental Sciences reports an explosion at one of their Si Wong Desert laboratories, but reports no concern to the general public
  * The Energy Guardians are established as a defense force for the Energybending peoples



 

249 AG

  * Terumi, a Waterbender, daughter of Pei-Hua and Trey-Li, is born



 

250 AG

  * Avatar Korra of the Water Tribe dies
  * Nise, an Earthbender, is born to Shihon and his Earth Kingdom bride
  * Aelius and Iulia Impera, Energybenders, are born to Master Antonius Impera and Octavia Impera, Energybenders
  * The Four Nations War begins



 

251 AG

  * Princess Cathra, a Firebender, of the Fire Nation is born



 

255 AG

  * Tengfei, an Airbender, of the Water and Air Confederacy is born



 

268 AG

  * Events of Book One: Empire




	3. Aelius

            I take a deep breath. When I am done, I look up and admire the stars. A part of me is still enamored by the infinity above my head. I feel myself slowly begin to count how many stars I can see, but I grin to myself and slowly shake my head. I close my eyes and take another deep breath. I breathe in the sweet salty air wafting towards me from the ocean. I feel a cold wave wash over my feet, and I try not to flinch. The water at this time of year is very cold even though the night is so warm. Just another oddity of our world.

            As a cold breeze brushes across my bare chest, I’m reminded that I am not alone on this beach. I open my eyes and see a pale figure standing across from me. In the dim starlight, I can barely make out their tan skin and their long dark hair. The figure has a bare lower torso and I can see some places where muscle might be trying to show. A dark sports bra covers their upper body. For legwear, they were only a very short pair of dark _booty shorts_ , as my generation calls them.

            I take a deep breath, and bring my left hand up to chest level. I take another deep breath, this time releasing it slowly. I mentally search my brain, trying to find the little lump that is my doorway to my power. It takes me a few moments longer than usual, but I find it.

            I feel a comforting tingle surge through my body. Others that might have experienced it might have worried that something was wrong with them; to me, it felt like the hug of an old friend. I return my attention to my hand, and concentrate on pushing the tingle out of my body through my palm.

            A spark of energy, as white and pure as snow, begins to float a few inches above my hand. Little tendrils whip out of the spark, almost lovingly striking at my hand. I smile, comforted by the light that my spark is giving off into the dark night. Now that I have the spark, I push more of the tingling sensation out of my body and feed it to the energy above my palm.

            A few moments later, I have a large ball of light about the size of my fist floating above my hand. It crackles softly, almost as if the ocean nearby is bothering it. I grin, and return my attention to the girl who is now illuminated by my energy orb. I see her light crimson eyes hungrily devouring the light that I have just created. Not many people get to see Energybenders bend our element, let alone ever meet one in person.

            I feel my attention slowly changing to the girl’s body. I can see now that her training clothes closely match her eyes; they are a light red. Some deep and ancient part of me is bothered by the fact that this girl has red eyes, but the more modern side of me pushes it away.

            I bring my right hand over and dip my fingers into the energy sphere. My fingers tingle with the power running through them, and I visualize cutting the sphere in half. Visualizations help me bend, as with all benders. It helps keep our thoughts from going astray, and cuts down on the possibility of accidents. Soon, my right hand is holding a ball of energy the same size as the one in my left hand. My two energy spheres float calmly above my palms, giving off enough light to illuminate a few hundred feet around me.

            The girl in red seems to jerk herself back to reality, and looks me in the eye. “I’ve never seen anything so… pure in my entire life.” She takes a few steps back, even though she is already a few yards away from me. She brings her hands to her mouth and takes a deep breath. I see little tongues of flame sneak out from past her fingers. She removes her hands, which have little flames running across them.

            The ancient part of me whispers urgently inside my head, telling me to throw water on the girl’s hands because they shouldn’t be on fire. That if the fire is there long enough, she’ll get serious burns. The modernized part of me just laughs, and reminds the ancient side that fire is humanity’s friend now, as is the earth, as is the water, as is the air, and as is pure energy.

            In a few moments, the girl’s hands are completely engulfed by orange flame. She brings them together in front of her chest, as if in prayer. She bows to me, and I return the gesture. My energy spheres obediently float in the air while I steeple my hands in front of my chest.

            We both return to a standing position, and for a few moments listen to the waves gently fall upon the shore. I feel the cold water rush over my bare feet, and shudder gently. I take a step back with my left foot, adopting a fighting stance. I bend my knees, locating my center of balance. I bring my hands up to my chest, and make beckoning motions to the energy spheres. They swiftly return to envelop my hands in a warm and tingling light. I can’t see my fingers anymore because of the white light that engulfs them, but that doesn’t bother me anymore like it did when I was younger. I know my hands are still inside the light because I can feel them.

            The girl adopts her own fighting stance, with her right leg forward and her flaming hands held out to her sides. She looks as if she’s waiting for a referee to blow his whistle to announce the start of a race. Her eyes meet lock with mine, and we share a moment of silence broken only by the sound of the ocean.

            I take a deep breath, and exhale. “Begin.” I say softly.

            The girl brings her right hand up across her chest, and a wave of fire blasts out towards me. I hear the crackling of the intense flame, hungrily eating the oxygen like a starving animal. The red and orange mass shoots towards me, and the ancient part of my mind tells me to duck and get out of the way as fast as I can or else I will get burned. The modern side just tells the ancient side to watch and learn.

            I bring my left foot forward and turn my body to face the water, in the same motion shoving my left palm towards the fire. The energy in my hand seems to predict my desire for it, and projects a circle of white light in front of my body. The circle is transparent enough so that I can see out of it, but it’s like looking through the ocean waves. Everything on the other side is wavy and exact details are hard to make out.

            The fire hits my energy shield, and I can see it make ripples in the center of my defense. The fire passes around my shield, but none of it gets close enough to do anything besides lick at me with a gentle heat. I bring back my left hand and the shield dissolves into the air. I step forward with my right foot and make a punching motion with my right hand. A jolt of energy zooms out that resembles a shooting star across the night sky.

            The girl, who must have been expecting something like this, twirls to her left. Mid-spin, she brings up one of her bare feet and makes a kicking motion towards me. A ball of fire zooms out of her foot, and I quickly repeat my shield-making motion. The shield is smaller this time, and dissipates into the air as soon as it makes contact with her fireball. She ends her spin and makes three swift punches towards me, each one shooting fist sized blasts of flame in my direction. I can see the red and orange flames reflecting in her crimson eyes, and I can see the amount of effort and energy she’s putting into this fight. I grin.

            I lean over backwards, allowing all the fireballs to pass over my torso. I can feel the heat from them pass over my bare chest, and one of them gets close enough to give me a light burn across my belly button. The muscles in my back fight to maintain my posture. Once the fire completely goes by me, I bring my back leg up over my body, and release some of the tingle that is running through my leg. My foot glows with pure power, and it releases a large slash of energy toward the girl. Once my foot slams against the sand, I bring my right leg around my body in a spinning kick that sends an orb of grey energy towards the girl.

            The girl sidesteps the first part of my attack, letting the pillar of energy pass by her without it so much as touching her. She grins as the orb goes to the place where she was before, and watches out of the corner of her eye as it speeds away into the distance.

            Knowing that she isn’t paying attention, I make a gesturing motion with my hand. I see the orb in the distance slow down, and then reverse direction. The girl has already turned her back to it, thinking that it has already dissipated. She throws a series of fireballs at me, which I block using five fast shields. The girl takes a very deep breath, her body arcing backwards. I know what she is about to do; I’ve seen other Firebenders do it before.

            True to tradition, the girl releases her breath in a violent torrent of fire. The splay of red and orange flames dance towards me, and I can see the sand under the attack turning red from the heat. I know better than to try to get out of the way of her attack. I bring my two hands in front of my body, and wait for the fire to get to me. It only takes a few split seconds.

            I quickly put my hands in front of me, and then separate them. I mentally form the image of a wall of pure light in front of me, and my imagination becomes reality. A barrier of light forms in front of me, and I can only see the inferno of fire out beyond it. The fire is diverted to both sides of the shield, and even though it’s so far from my body I can feel the flames as they pass by.

            I drop the shield once the breath attack is finished.

            But the girl is there, in midair, about to firmly plant her foot into my face. I see the burst of flame behind her back foot that she used to rocket herself up into the sky, and I can see that it is even now rocketing her towards my face. I have a few milliseconds before I enter a world of pain. My nose will probably be broken, I will most likely have some missing teeth, and I may even get a minor concussion.

            Unless I do something about it. And I do.

            Fast as a bullet, I reach up with my right hand and grab the girl’s bare ankle. It’s lukewarm, and I feel the heat intensify as I grab hold. I give her a slight push upward, and lean back as she rockets over my head. The flames from her back foot lick at my hair as they pass over me. I quickly lean down and shove the top of my head into the sand in order to put out any fires. When I come back up, I see the girl is about thirty feet away from me, picking herself up off the sand.

            I feel a slight tingle in my left hand, and I turn around and grab the grey orb of energy that I had shot earlier before it has a chance to hit me. When I turn back around, the girl is already back up, and running towards me. I don’t have time to put up any defenses or block her. I feel the wind get knocked out of me as she punches me in my stomach.

            I stumble back a few steps, and use the motion as the prelude to a roundhouse kick to the girl’s head. She puts up her left arm to block it, but I put enough force behind my spin to knock her arm out of the way. She grunts as my foot makes contact with her left shoulder. I bring my leg back, and throw a series of energy-imbued punches at the girl’s stomach. The first two hit her, and I see little tendrils of energy course through the skin around where my fists made contact. She lets out little puffs of breath as each punch hits her, but is obviously recovered enough to send a flaming uppercut towards my jaw. I lean my head back before she has a chance to hit my jaw, and use my right hand to push her fiery fist to the side.

            The girl, however, must have expected me to push her hand out of the way, because her knee is already coming up towards my midsection. I jump backwards and throw a punch with both of my hands towards the girl. Balls of energy speed out from my glowing hands, and the girl responds with two fireballs of her own. The four projectiles hit each other with a loud crack and a crinkle, almost like the aftereffects of fireworks.

            I feel my feet make contact with the sand. The sand is hot though, and then I recall the earlier fire breath attack. My primal senses kick in, and I immediately jump to my right in order to save my feet. I land in a pile of cooler sand.

            And there is the girl again, throwing a rocket punch towards my face. I duck under the attack, and shove my left palm into the girl’s chest. A small shield forms there, and she is knocked back a few feet by the energy. I form an energy orb with my right hand, this one a brilliant silver, and launch it at the girl.

            It hits her right in the center of her chest. I see it enter her body, and for a few split seconds, the girl’s veins glow with the brilliant color. And then it’s gone. She falls to the fine beach sand, taking shallow breaths. Her hair falls around her face, and it looks as though her arms are barely supporting her weight. I remember the first time I was hit by a silver sphere. It’s not a fun experience.

            I’m not quite sure what to do now, so I awkwardly stand there for a few moments while the girl gasps for breath. I give her credit for not throwing up; that is what I did the first time a silver hit me.

            I take a few unsteady steps towards the girl. She doesn’t notice as I kneel down besides her. I can’t see her face very well through all of her dark hair, but I can see the little tongues of fire that escape her mouth each time she breaths. I almost put a comforting hand on her back, but I stop myself when I realize that my hands are still glowing. Touching her would send more energy coursing through her body, which I don’t think would be a good idea. I clench both of my fists and visualize the energy disappearing, and it fades away.

            _Now_ I put my hand on the girl’s back. “It’ll be fine.” I say softly. A low breeze comes from the direction of the ocean, and the girl’s hair brushes against my leg. “Just take a few slow breaths. It takes awhile for the body to recover from a few hundred volts of pure energy. I’m surprised you aren’t throwing up.” My mouth just takes over from my brain. What else could I possibly say? I’ve never really been a comforting kind of person.

            “It… feels like I will.” The girl’s voice is light but precise, as if every syllable has a specific purpose. The girl retches but nothing comes out of her mouth. She takes a few deep breaths, and leans up. She puts her hands on her knees, and turns her head to look at me. I see the subtle curves of her face glow in the starlight. Her crimson eyes have the entire star field reflecting out of them, it seems.

            “That was some breath you sent at me there. Thought you had a dragon hidden in your mouth that you forgot to tell me about.” I tell her, not know at all what I’m saying. Just making conversation, I guess. I guess.

            The girl laughs, and it’s a merry and gleeful sound. “Too bad it didn’t do anything besides burn your feet.”

            I shrug. “Hey, at least it did something.”

            The girl looks up at the stars. “It’s like you came from space. You move like something out of a storybook, and you shoot light from your body. It’s amazing.” She looks at me again, and smiles a little. “Your hands, when you moved, left trails in the air. It was like you were dancing with ribbons or something.”

            I grin. “Its why some people sometimes call us _Energyweaver_. People used to say that we weaved entire tapestries of light with our hands. Now all we’re good for is light shows.”

            The girl laughs. “Weavers are the most skilled warriors in the entire world, feared and honored across all of the Four Nations, and you call what you just did a _light show_? Do you know how much money you could make with your light show?”

            I laugh too, because I have to admit that I have thought about that before. “As much as I wanted, before the people chased me out of town. You hit the nail on the head. We’re feared.” I stand up, and offer my hand to the girl. She takes it, and I pull her up. She begins walking towards the grassy plains that mark the end of the beach. I grab the small leather bag that I had brought with me, and sling it over my shoulder.

            “I can breathe fire.” The girl waits for me to catch up. “That used to be something that you would only hear about in stories. But at least a quarter of the world can do it too, now. Another quarter of the world can control the winds and the very air that we all breathe. A quarter can move boulders with their minds, more or less, and the last quarter can control the oceans. That kind of stuff has been normal for the past two thousand years. Nothing should really be amazing anymore. And yet here you are controlling light and electricity, and you don’t find that amazing?”

            I step onto the dark green plains, and look at the dark grass beneath my feet. My eyes haven’t adjusted yet to the lack of light. “Like you said, that stuff is normal to me now. If you did the kind of stuff I did every day, you wouldn’t be as impressed. It’s _not_ impressive. I could have seriously hurt you. If that grey sphere earlier _had_ hit you, you would still be unconscious.”

            We walk for a few minutes in silence, approaching the dark woods that border the woods around our summer camp. We crept out in the middle of the night to spar, because she had told me she had never seen an Energybender before. I had declined at first, but she managed to convince me in the end. Well, my friends managed to convince me when they heard I declined.

            The girl breaks the silence once we reach the trees. “Are you going to join the fighting one day, Aelius?”

            I form an energy sphere above my right hand in order to give us some light to see through the trees. The sphere casts ominous shadows behind the trees, but I’m not scared. I’ve never been afraid of the dark. “I don’t know.” I say. “I know people on every side of the war. My father expects me to hire myself out when I get older, because that’s what most Energybenders do.”

            “Who is your father fighting for?” The girl asks. She’s behind me now, letting me lead the way because I have the light. Her voice is faint.

            “The Water and Air Confederacy. He’s at the Eastern Temple right now.” I think about my father: graceful as a Waterbender and as cunning as an Airbender. It only made sense when he told me he accepted a contract from the Confederacy. A few thousand gold ingots was a _very_ good deal, he said. He told me, before he left, that he would bring me back a nice Earthbender girl. I don’t know if he was joking or not.

            “Who do you live with now? Your mom?” The girl asks from behind me. I cannot tell whether she is bothered by the fact that my father is out fighting against her nation. I know that if I were in her place, I certainly would be.

            “Mom died in the war. Killed by raiders.” I feel my chest trembling at the memory. I was young, but old enough to remember because some things you can never just forget…

            “What Nation were they?”

            “Does it matter?” I ask. I fight the urge to turn around and start screaming. Instead, I stand still amidst the dark forest. The light above my hand grows brighter at my inner conflict. “What does it matter who kills anybody? Dead is dead. Whether it’s by an icicle through the throat, a fireball to the heart, a boulder to the spine, being deprived of oxygen for weeks, or a dagger to the ribcage. Does it matter who kills who?”

            I can’t fight it anymore. I turn around and look at the girl, realizing for the first time just how dark it is around the edges of my light. My energy sphere illuminates her entire body, and I can see a single tear running down her face. Her crimson eyes now look blood red, full of life and youth. She wipes at the tear before it reaches her chin.

            “Because maybe if you find out who did it, you can find them, and…” She stops and looks at me. I’ve thought about that. Finding the people who killed my mother and turned my father crazy. Finding them and killing them like they killed my mother. But if I did that, what good would it do? Yes, I could send thousands and thousands of volts of electricity running through their body. But what would be the point? Would that change anything?

            I turn back around. “It doesn’t work like that. Let’s get back to camp.”

            I try not to show my tears, and I try not to let my sobs leave my chest, but the ancient part of me tells me that the girl already knows.


	4. Cathra

**Cathra**

* * *

I look out my window across the dark compound as he opens the door to his group's cabin. For a brief moment, the light from inside his cabin portrays him as a dark silhouette. I hungrily look at his muscled torso while I can before Aelius closes the door to his cabin. I sigh under by breath, careful not to awaken my bunkmates. I didn't tell any of them that I snuck out to see Aelius. I don't know any of them well, and I was never big on trust anyways. I wasn't planning to use it in our fight, but I had a knife hidden inside my training bra in case anyone tried to seriously attack me. I wonder if the knife would have helped me at all in the sparring. Probably not.

I touch the center of my chest. That last ball of energy…

It had been invigorating. It was like having a small inferno inside of me for a few seconds, filling me with warmth and power. I felt it course through me, and for a couple of moments I had felt like I could do anything. I was terrified when my body had suddenly collapsed. I was scared when I realized that I couldn't handle that power inside of me; to think that Aelius can use that power at any time he wants awes me.

Standing across from him on that beach awhile ago, I could tell that he was different. He wasn't a brute like the other guys his age that I've met. I've met plenty of brutes and have fallen for some of them. In the end, they all ended up breaking every promise they made me. To the chagrin of my father, I've had boyfriends from every nation. Well, except an Energybender boyfriend, but they don't count. They're too scattered to be considered a Nation. 

Maybe that would change. Maybe Aelius would be the new leader of his people. With his silver eyes and his amazing voice, he could persuade armies to follow him. It's not a deep voice that commands respect, it's a soft elegant voice that draws your attention and you  _listen_  and  _understand_  every word and every meaning. A voice like his. His voice certainly got  _my_ attention.

I wrench myself away from the window. I can spend all day tomorrow daydreaming. I look at a lonely clock on the wall, and realize that I've already spent the first twenty minutes of the day daydreaming. I moan under my breath, careful not to wake my fellow cabin-mates up. I would only get about six hours of sleep if I were to pass out on my bed right now.

It's too bad that going to sleep, for me, has always been a few-hour long process. My mind races at night. My father always told me that it was because the fires of my head were unstoppable. Smart man, my father.

I lay on my uncomfortable mattress. The springs poke my back in the most uncomfortable places, almost as if the bed is designed to hurt me. It's nothing like what I'm used to back home. Back home, my bed would be about the size of three of the summer camp beds put together, it would be filled with soft feathers, and my blankets would be made out of only the finest wool. Here I'm lucky that my blanket isn't so threadbare it's transparent.

One would think that the who's who of the world could give the Republic City Harmony Camp enough money to purchase better materials. I know my family pays an extraordinary amount of money to send me to this camp. My father told me, before I came here, that this camp would straighten me out and show me how the other half of the world lived. Maybe the other half of the world lived like this a thousand years ago, father, but now the other half lives in brick and metal houses with electricity and clean water.

I pull my rough blanket over my body when I get into bed. It's a faint orange, almost faded. I look at the blanket of the girl who sleeps across from me. Hers is green. She's an Earthbender, and I think she's somehow related to one of the Bei Fong merchant families. I don't really care who she is as long as she isn't an Airbender or Waterbender.

I roll back and forth in my bed, fighting for some comfort. It doesn't work. I sigh. All those years of lessons and training about how to be strong and resist pain, and I'm brought down by a simple mattress and the cold night. Some Firebender I turned out to be.

Not that I'm a bad Firebender. My mother told me that I was burping fireballs by the age of three. My father popped me into the best Firebending academies the Fire Nation could provide, and I spent most of my childhood growing up among the children of the most powerful families in the Fire Nation. I learned how to manipulate heat next to someone claiming to be descended from Fire Lord Zuko, and learned how to read and write from a man who said he was related to Avatar Roku in one way or another. It was probably all a bunch of pig-cow droppings, but to them it meant something.

Tonight I fall asleep dreaming of being back home in my bed. The cool breeze blows into my dream, ruffling my imaginary silk curtains. I look around my room, which is over a thousand miles away, and remind myself that I'll be back there in a few weeks. Back to my home sweet home.

I groan and move down the breakfast line. I slowly grab a few rice balls, fumbling with the second one. I don't typically wake up until one or two in the afternoon back home. Waking up at seven in the morning is like locking me in a meat freezer. It drains all the life and energy out of me, and I can barely move. I pray that the rice balls will give me energy. I grab a handful of cow-chicken sausages in the hope that they will give me life.

I make it to the end of the line with a good-sized meal on my plate. I walk out of the kitchen and look around the crowded cafeteria. The walls of the place are covered with multicolored banners that are supposed to represent harmony and teamwork and other cute things that no one believes in anymore. The entire camp is designed to make us all work together and "learn that we're all human." It doesn't work.

I look around the large cafeteria and find the table that has the most Fire Nation kids sitting at it. I see a few Earthbenders eating with them, along with one Waterbender I've seen at our table before. Some of the Firebenders deal well with members of other Nations; I'm not one of those Firebenders. I can barely stand my Nation's alliance with the Earth Kingdom. Time was when we almost conquered the entire world, and we did it with the fires in our hearts and the strength in our bones. The Fire Nation has grown weak in the past two hundred years. Everyone knows it. It's why the Water and Air Nations banded together to try to get rid of us.

I slowly bring my plate of food over to the predominantly-Firebender table. I sit close to the end near a group of Firebenders I've talked to a few times. They're talking about something with a lot of emotion, and it takes me a few seconds before I realize the topic.

"I'm telling you Kaza, if we just hit them at the Western Air Temple, we'd have immediate access to the Northern Water Nation."

Kaza, a tall brown haired boy a few years younger than me, rolls his eyes. "We already have immediate access." He says in between bites of sausage. "The Earth Kingdom takes up the entire middle of the world, in case you haven't noticed."

The other boy doesn't give up. "But the less we have to rely on our rocky relationship-"

A girl to the boy's left giggles. "Oh, Tian, the second the Earth Kingdom turns on us we'll just have another go at them like we did during the First War…"

They all laugh. After a few seconds, I do too. They don't look at me like I'm crazy, so that must be a good sign. I decide to throw my two coins into the conversation.

"All we need is a big metal koala sheep and we can just eat our way through the walls of Ba Sing Se. Second time is the charm, right?" I sheepishly grin. Everyone that hears me laughs. I give a breath of relief inside my head.

Then I take in a quick breath when I meet eyes with the person who just entered the dining hall. He's tall, has a body structure that's lithe yet still very well muscled, and has light grey eyes that look unnatural contrasted with his light brown hair. He's holding a plate of food that looks almost empty compared to mine. I've heard stories about how Energybenders suck all the energy out of food they eat. I'm not sure if that's just a myth or fact, and I'm not going to ask Aelius that any time soon.

Aelius meets my eyes for a moment, and I force myself into giving him a small smile. I remember a trick one of my friends back home taught me, and flick my hair back behind my ear and look away. Back home its so much easier to get guys to pay attention to me. They all know who I am. Here, it doesn't matter who anyone is. Heritage means nothing in Republic City, because here they're trying to break every single barrier that divides the Four Nations from each other.

I look back to where Aelius was standing. He's not there anymore. I scan the room, but find no sign of him. He was wearing a pair of white shorts and a white shirt, which would certainly stand out amidst all the blues, greens, yellows, and reds that everyone else is wearing. The only other Energybender at the summer camp is a blind girl that always wears grey clothing. How she manages to wear the same color everyday, I'll never know. Maybe it's all she owns.

I look down at my plate of food. I've made a considerable dent in my plié of sausages. I stab another one with my fork and bring it to my mouth.

"Hey, Fire Girl." A voice says behind my back. I don't turn around, and just continue eating my sausage. It's just someone trying to cause trouble. Hopefully they aren't talking to me.

"Hey, Smokey." The voice says again. It seems to be getting louder and louder. Oh, please don't be me, I silently beg. I don't want to get into a fight this early in the morning. My body isn't awake yet.

"Hot bitch, I'm talking to you!" The voice yells, and I feel a strong hand grab my shoulder and spin me around. My legs hit the legs of the girl to my left, and I wince as my shins collide with her armored legs. Who in the blazes wears armor to breakfast? Once I look my tormentor in the face, I realize I probably should start following her lead.

His name is Jeta. I've heard the other Firebenders talk about him. He's a hot-headed Waterbender, and he is probably the tallest person at the entire summer camp. He never wears shirts with sleeves so he can show off his vast array of muscles twenty-four hours a day. I've seen him get into fights with some of the Earthbenders and Firebenders. He broke someone's leg a few days ago. The camp administrators did nothing, because no one could ever prove that it was Jeta.

I stare into Jeta's cold blue eyes. He looks at me like I'm a cornered animal, which I certainly feel like. None of the Firebenders will help me, I know for certain. They're all too afraid of Jeta. He has plenty of water around him to bend; all of the tables in the cafeteria have huge jugs of water for drinking. I, on the other hand, have yet to awaken the fire inside me. I remind myself that I really need to start working on a better sleep schedule, if I make it home.

Jeta seems to be getting impatient with me. I don't know why. "Someone told me that they saw you last night sneaking out. What were you doing, Hotty?" He sneers at me. Instead of waiting for an answer, he continues. "I bet you were sending a dossier on every Water and Airbender here back home, huh?"

I swallow. "Just out getting some fresh air, Jeta. Nothing suspicious." I laugh nervously.

Jeta sneers again, this time showing yellow teeth. "Fresh air? What, you saying that us Waterbenders stink?" Jeta leans forward. I smell his breath, and it smells like rotten fish. "Are you saying I stink, Smokey?"

I consider all the possible retorts inside my head. I decide on the safest one. "Not at all, Jeta. I think you smell nice."

Next thing I know, Jeta's massive hand is around my neck, and my head is slammed against my stone plate. Thankfully, my sausage pile cushions the impact. I hear a few shouts from other tables in the cafeteria. Whether they are from enemies or allies, I can't tell. All that I can focus on, really, is the stars swimming before my eyes and Jeta's massive hand around my neck.

He squeezes, beginning to choke me. "My dad told me that I had to kill at least one Firebender before I got home. Looks like I'll be getting something special- for killing Princess Cathra herself." Jeta smiles, and the world begins to get hazy.

A few seconds pass, and they feel like eternity. I'm certain that I'm going to die. No one has the courage to stand up to Jeta. He's a monster. A behemoth of pure hatred for the Fire and Earth Nations. No one could even stop him, he's so huge and powerful.

"Let her go, Jeta."

I struggle to look for the source of the voice, but my head won't turn. Maybe I'm dead, and I'm just imagining things. I try again to breath, but my throat isn't letting me. I do see Jeta turn his head though, and look at the source of the voice.

"Suck one, Aelius. This Firesquirter don't owe you anything." Jeta says. I feel his hand get tighter on my throat. Aelius! I want to tell him to run as fast as he can, because he will get annihilated by the demon that is Jeta. I don't want him dying for me. Aelius has a destiny, I can tell. He's going to be important.

"Let the girl go, Jeta, or I'll  _make_  you." Aelius says. I hear a sharp note in his voice. It sounds like the prelude to a roar. Jeta turns to look at me, and sneers. He lets go, and I take a few giant breaths of air. Oh, sweet release. I don't move though, because I feel like if I move the hand that was on my neck will reappear.

Jeta leaves my field of vision, and all I can see now is the white cafeteria ceiling. But I hear Jeta's voice. "Bring it, light boy. Let's see what your light show can do against the power of the ocean."

A silence sweeps over the cafeteria, as everyone suddenly waits for whatever will happen next. I slowly turn my head, and I see Aelius standing there facing off against Jeta. Aelius's grey eyes meet mine, and I silently pray that he makes Jeta pay for being the monster that he is. Aelius blinks.

And then he looks at Jeta. "Have it your way."

Before Jeta can even adopt a fighting stance, Aelius sends him flying across the cafeteria with a energy-imbued side kick to the chest. A few cheers and shouts arise from across the cafeteria, and everyone rushes to get out of the way of the fight. My table soon becomes deserted, with the exception of me. I remain where I am, like a doll on a shelf. I'm still trying to recover my breath.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jeta gesture and summon a few streams of drinking water from the jugs that he's passing in flight. He must use them to soften his impact, because I don't hear any loud noise that would indicate he hit a wall. I do, however, hear a rush of water, and I see a long tendril of clear water shoot towards Aelius. I follow it with my eyes, and Aelius merely pivots on one foot to let the tendril go past him.

Aelius uses the pivot as an opening for an energy slash, and I see the pure white crescent of energy soar away from his body towards Jeta. I try to get up and look at Jeta, but my head doesn't feel like moving yet.

Jeta must dodge or block it somehow, because immediately following the crescent's departure from my field of vision (which is still a little hazy) a dozen icicles shoot towards Aelius. I watch in silent awe as Aelius throws up just enough energy shields to shatter the icicles moments before they impale him. He moves with such a speed its like he can teleport his hands.

I hear a much louder roar of water, and two clear tentacles of the stuff shoot again towards Aelius. I hear Jeta yell something about how he's not even sweating yet, and I see Aelius's mouth form into a small grin. Aelius leans backwards to let the tentacles go over him, and kicks in the direction the water tentacles came from with both of his glowing feet. Two lights speed out, and for a moment the water that makes up the tentacles wavers. Then the tentacles deform and harmlessly soak the floor of the cafeteria.

I use a hand to grab the now-empty chair next to me where the armored girl had sat. I use it as a handhold as I pull myself up. I look around the cafeteria, and realize that people made a cordon, more or less, of tables to hide behind. I guess no one knew that Jeta would end up doing, so even his own Waterbender and Airbender friends felt like they had to protect themselves. I look over at Jeta.

I laugh. Jeta is trapped in a pile of chairs, and I see a little bit of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. I look over at Aelius, who is standing with both of his hands in front of his body. He's not even wet.

I begin to walk towards Aelius, who still doesn't bring his fists down. He doesn't look at me, only past me at Jeta. I start to open my mouth to thank him, but a prickle runs down my spine. Out of the corner of my eye, I see little ripples in the water that covers the floor. Is it an earthquake?

I hear a roar from behind me, and I turn around just in time to see Jeta throw all the chairs off him in an explosion of water. Two of the chairs come towards me, and I cover my head. Oh, if only I could Firebend this early in the morning! Then my life wouldn't be as bad as it is right now.

Aelius saves me, and somehow manages to slap away the chairs with the back of his glowing hands. I uncover my head in time to see Aelius fall on the ground, pulled down by water that Jeta had grabbed his ankles with. Aelius gives a soft cry of surprise, but manages to break free mid-fall. He closes his eyes when he's only an inch away from falling on his back, and suddenly a purple orb of light forms under him and stops his fall.

But Jeta is already in the air, yelling at the top of his lungs and holding a icicle that looks as sharp as a sword and more deadly. The ice twinkles with malicious delight. Aelius brings both of his legs up, and kicks towards Jeta. I see two grey spheres shoot out from his feet and hit Jeta square in the chest.

Tendrils of energy course through Jeta's skin. For a second, even his eyes glow with all the energy in him. Once they stop however, his eyes are unfocused. He hits the floor with a thud, and I swear it causes an earthquake of a small magnitude.

I gingerly walk up to Jeta and prod him with my shoe. "Is he…" I begin to ask Aelius.

"No." Aelius says softly. He comes over to stand above Jeta. "But he'll be unconscious for a few hours." Aelius's body is completely neutral, and his facial expression betrays nothing of what he might be feeling about knocking out the biggest bully in the entire summer camp. But I see a glimpse of something in his grey eyes. It seems like…

 _He's afraid of something_.

The words come into my head before I even recognize what they mean, but I immediately know I'm right. It takes me a few moments before I realize what the real reason is for the cordon around the fight zone: nobody knew what  _Aelius_  would do. I recall what Aelius said on the beach last night _. "As much as I wanted, before the people chased me out of town. You hit the nail on the head. We're feared."_

It dawns on me that it's not just the Four Nations that would fear Aelius. He's afraid of himself, too.

I touch Aelius on the arm, softly. He turns his head to look at me, and for a moment his eyes look like ivory pools of water. But then they resume their light grey color. "Thank you, Aelius. You saved my life."

Aelius smiles softly. "You never told me you were a Princess. Does that mean I get a reward?"

I groan inside my head. I thought more people knew! My father told me he sent a message to the summer camp administrators telling them to tell everyone that I was the heir Princess to the Fire Throne. I guess he lied. It wouldn't be the first time.

I rack my brain for witty comebacks, and one slips out of my mouth before I can review it. "You can have a room in the Capitol City Palace." I groan inside my head. Stupid me!

Aelius just laughs, and grabs a sausage off of a plate. I'm not sure if it's my plate or not, but I don't really mind. "Lucky me. Always wanted to visit the Fire Nation. Is breakfast always this exciting for you there, too?"


	5. Part One: The Path (I)

**Book One: Empire**

**Part One: The Path**

* * *

 

    _“Mist Agent Jetali to Minder Hawk. Mission successful. Requesting exfil.”_

_-Agent of the Mist communication, intercepted by Regia Communications Division_

 

            “Allow me to repeat what you just said,” The head administrator of the Republic City Harmony Camp tells me. “To make sure that I understand perfectly.”

The man raps his fingers on his hard wooden desk. An electric fan blows air around the room from its place in the corner. It does nothing to stop the man from sweating.

            “You got into a fight with the _biggest_ boy in the entire Camp, and his father just _happens_ to be the Deputy Secretary to the Minister of War to the Water Tribe. And, you did this in a fight over a _girl_ who just _happens_ to be the daughter and heir princess of Fire Lord Ursan.” The administrator uses his non-tapping hand to massage the bridge of his nose. He leans back in his office chair.

            I remain standing, hands clasped behind my back, as the administrator mutters under his breath something about every toilet flush causing an international incident. I don’t understand his problem. I didn’t kill Jeta. I only knocked him unconscious. No permanent harm done. Well, unless he had a heart attack, or a stroke. Or brain damage, but he probably had that anyways.

            I shift the weight distributed between my legs, and take a breath of cool air. “Sir, Jeta would have killed Cathra. No one else tried to stop him.” I say, coolly. My father taught me from a young age how to deal with people who think they have power. His main advice was to give them the illusion of respect. I take a second and think of how to use his advice, and then I say, “Sir, I know that Jeta could have gotten seriously hurt, but he was choking a defenseless girl. You would have had the entire Fire Nation to deal with if he had killed her.”

            The administrator brings his hands in front of his chest, and steeples his fingers. My father taught me that that was a motion that people did when they were trying to think of how to best use something, or someone, to their advantage. “Yes, yes, that’s right…” the large man says under his breath, almost to himself. Then he looks back up at me. His eyes are brown, and I think he’s an Earthbender. “You know what the Camp policy is. You have to go,” the man begins. He leans towards me as though he is telling me a secret. “But the policy doesn’t say _when_. You could stay the rest of the week.”

            I think about it, briefly. The Camp only lasts for another two weeks. I haven’t learned much (anything, for that matter) since I got here. All I’ve really done was meet the Fire Nation’s heir Princess Cathra and beat up a Waterbender named Jeta. No really great stories to write to my father about. “I’ll leave today, sir. Thank you for your offer.”

            The administrator leans back, and rubs the bridge of his nose again. “I’ll never understand you Energybenders. You have opportunities just thrown in your face, and you just close your eyes and keep selling yourselves out like a bunch of whores to the highest bidder.” The man laughs, obviously entertained by his offensive joke. “A bunch of light-waving whores.”

            _This light waving whore_ , I say inside my head, _could put so much energy inside of you that your eyes would pop and your heart would beat so fast it would rip a hole though your chest_. I don’t say anything, and instead keep my impassive expression on my face. Energybenders are trained to not give into emotions. Even though I only had a year of training, I did learn that much.

            I bring my right fist to my chest and bow, exactly like my father taught me to do. “I’ll pack my bags, sir. Thank you for your time.” Dismissing myself, I turn and walk out of the administrator’s door. I enter the main room of the Camp’s administrative building, and walk to the exit. I feel the eyes of everyone present on my back, but I don’t mind. I’m used to people staring.

            I open the door and take one of my last looks at the Republic City Harmony Camp. It’s a stereotypical summer camp. A pool, cabins, dirt roads, and a dining hall. Nothing too elaborate to maintain, and probably a very low upkeep. It’s surrounded on every side by a forest broken only in one place by a long dirt road. The road leads to Republic City, and it is the road I will have to walk to go back.

            I walk back to my cabin. It’s on the other side of the camp, almost directly across from the administrative building. Luckily, everyone right now is eating lunch. It’s been a few hours since the Jeta incident. I was more or less confined in a room in the administrative building before I was questioned. The questioning took an hour before I could leave, and then I had to talk to the head administrator. Pointless bureaucracy.

            I reach my cabin, and open the door. No one comes to see who I am, so I assume I’m alone. I close the door behind me and turn to my left. I climb up a ladder to the next floor, which is where my bunk is. I share the floor with some Earth and Waterbenders who always argue and keep me up all night.

            When I finally step off the ladder, I realize that I’m not alone. Sitting on my bunk cross-legged, with a bandage around her neck, is Princess Cathra. She’s wearing the same dark crimson tunic and black shorts that she wore at breakfast. Her hair is a little disheveled, but that’s to be expected of someone who almost died.

            Not knowing what to say, I walk towards my bunk. I bend over to grab my dark duffel bag, and Cathra doesn’t say a word. When I stand up again, I realize that her eyes are practically glazed over. She doesn’t move.

            Weird, but I’ve seen weirder. My father told me about someone once who could lay so still and not move so well that even his heart stopped after awhile. People thought he was dead until he popped up laughing at them as they crowded around. I don’t think Cathra is pretending to be dead, but maybe she’s just lost in thought. I shrug.

            I begin packing up my scant belongings. I remove my wallet from my bedside locker, making sure that all of the money that I brought is still there. It is, so I shove my wallet in one of my pockets. I take out my grey windbreaker and check the pockets. Inside of the left one is a small spool of wire I keep in case of emergencies. I then unceremoniously throw my jacket on top of my bed.

            Cathra still has not moved. I consider pinching her to see if she is alive, but I can see that she is breathing. She blinks every thirty seconds, so she is obviously coherent. I look down at my duffel bag. I wanted to change into clothes that were more suitable for the long walk, but I obviously cannot do that now. My shorts will work for the walk, even though I wanted to change into my pair of slacks. My shirt, however, will not work. It’s too hot outside, and the shirt holds too much heat in. My Energybender clothes are totally out of the question, as I’d rather not get them dirty. I can never know when I need to _officially_ and _publically_ be a member of the Energybending elite.

            I finally grab a synthetic fabric t-shirt. It is black, and will be very helpful in case I possibly need to stay in the shadows. It is made of a material that absorbs sweat, so it will keep me cool. My father taught me to always plan for everything.

            One thing I could not have planned for, though, is Cathra sitting on my bed when I got here. I briefly consider the idea of changing in front of her, but decide not to. It would not be proper. I maneuver behind her field of view, and take off my shirt. I throw the discarded shirt on my bunk behind Cathra, and pull the black t-shirt over my head.

            “You saved my life.”

            The voice breaks the silence and startles me. It is a bit raspy, as if the girl is having trouble breathing. She does not say anything else. I wonder if she has a damaged larynx now, or some other throat damage. Jeta had some impressive muscles on him, and I honestly would not be surprised if he could dent a steel wall with a punch.

            I finish pulling my shirt down over my head. “Ya. And now I have to leave because of it.” I reply calmly as I put my discarded shirt into my duffel bag. I’ve always been a horrible packer. I just threw some clothes into my bag before I came to the camp, and hoped that I had enough to last the duration. Luckily, it turned out I was right.

            A few moments of silence go by while I try to finish packing. “I’m sorry.” Cathra says. “They shouldn’t be punishing you.”

            I grin sourly. Actually, the punishment does not bother me at all. I was taught from a young age that rules are rules for a reason, and no one has permission not to follow them. “I didn’t mean that I was sorry for saving you. I’m choosing to leave.”

            “Where will you go?” Cathra’s voice is soft. She still hasn’t turned around to look at me. I look past her dark hair at her neck bandage. It’s wrapped a bit loose, and looks like she tried taking it off and then gave up. I don’t see anything under the bandage and I realize that it’s only a precautionary wrapping.

            “I have a V.I.P pass to an all-inclusive hotel near City Hall.” I think about the white metal coin in my wallet. “I get all my expenses covered for free.” I’m probably not supposed to flaunt that knowledge around, but I don’t really care. She seems trust worthy enough.

            “Can you…” Cathra’s voice stumbles over itself. Her back straightens.

            I wait for about two minutes for her to finish the sentence. The entire time, every possible scenario goes through my head. I imagine every possibility from her asking me to brush her hair, which is in disarray, to her asking me to give her a few hundred Yuan so she can get a ticket on an airship home. I even contemplate the fact that she has some weird fantasy of her and I riding away into the sunset on a white komodo rhino.

A few more moment of silence pass between us, and then she continues speaking. “After this morning, I have reasons to believe that I have assassins trying to kill me.” Her voice has a hard tone to it now, and it’s almost like she’s speaking to a servant. “You will be compensated greatly for my protection.”

            I pause in the middle of folding some shirts. Assassins? Compensation? That seems even more absurd of an idea that the komodo rhino concept. I sincerely doubt that Jeta was a paid assassin. I doubt Jeta can even spell the word “assassin”, let alone his own _name_. Yet I wouldn’t be surprised if some Water and Air Confederacy general has put out a few hits on Cathra.

A memory of my father pops into my head. He’s sitting cross-legged on a ivory disk, his hands on his knees. _Your first job, as an Energybender, will always be your hardest. But it will also be your most rewarding, because you’ll learn so much about yourself and the world while you’re doing it. Oh, and it’ll get you your first real paycheck, too_.

            I think about what Cathra said again. Assassins? She’s the royal heir of the Fire Nation, next in line to be Fire Lord. Assassins are a constant possibility. I’m surprised she’s even at the summer camp without protection, but perhaps she can protect herself well enough. Even more likely, she has guards hidden among the camp staff.

            I look at Cathra’s back. Her hair falls straight to the center of her spine. Her entire body is rigid, but whether it’s with fear or being uncomfortable sitting still for so long I honestly cannot tell. “I’m seventeen. You could hire your own personal army to protect you.” I resume folding my clothes, but a bit slower this time. The compensation does not really matter to me; the entire scenario is absurd. I am too young to be a bodyguard.

            “I wouldn’t trust them.” Cathra says, coolly. Her voice is emotionless, I think intentionally so. “I’ve fought you before and you saved my life from a raging Waterbender. And you’re the only Energybender I know.”

            _Ah, so that’s it_. I roll my eyes inside my head. To her, I’m just another Energybender mercenary. Well, maybe it is time I got in touch with my culture. Besides, the two days that Cathra has been a part of have been exciting. Moreover, she is relatively nice, she is a princess, and she is pretty. And she offered to pay me. I put the rest of my clothes in my duffel bag. I put my windbreaker on, and zip it up to my breastbone.

            I slide my arm through a strap of my duffel bag, and throw the bag behind my shoulder. I stand and look around my home for the past two weeks, and decide that it’s about time I moved on with my life.

            “What are we waiting for, Princess Cathra? Let’s go.” I say.

            Cathra turns around and looks at me, and I see a small glimmer of fire in her eyes. I see an even larger flame in her smile.

 

 

            Twenty-two thousand fifty seven. Twenty-two thousand fifty eight. Twenty-two thousand fifty nine. Twenty-two thousand sixty.

            I keep track in my head of how many steps we’ve walked so far. I only started keeping track once I lost sight of the summer camp entrance, and that was about twenty minutes after Cathra and I began our hike. I look up and calculate how long we’ve been walking: about three hours. It feels like we’ve walked about seven miles so far, which is easier for me than it is for Cathra. I hear gravel crunching behind me, which is my constant reminder that I am escorting the Fire Nation princess to Republic City.

            Cathra, once we left the borders of the summer camp, became extremely talkative. Words now fly out of her mouth like wolfbats from a cave. Perhaps it is the allure of adventure that is now inspiring her. On the other hand, a more likely reason is that she’s just delirious from the heat.

            “What was it like, growing up an Energybender?” She asks, bringing the total number of questions she has asked to three hundred and seventy four. I’ve tried to answer every question politely, but I think I’ve missed a few. She doesn’t notice when I politely ask her to stop.

            “I learned from an early age how to control myself.” I begin, grimly smiling as I remember my early days training under my father. Finally, a question that I enjoy answering! “I learned not to lose track of my thoughts, because a lot of Energybending is based on _intentions_.“

            Cathra is silent for a few minutes. The only noise I hear her making is her light footsteps and her breathing. I can tell from the frequency of her breaths that she’s starting to get tired. In the Fire Nation royal palace, she probably never got the chance to go hiking. Or anything, really. I’ve heard stories about how strict some noble Fire Nation families are. The children live in a living hell, beaten into perfection by their parents.

            I shudder in recollection. My father only laid a hand on me in punishment once. Then again, being an Energybender, he had never even needed to touch me to punish me.

            I look up at the sun, and immediately remember to shade my eyes. It’s starting to set, which means we need to get off the road. If a bus driver catches us resting or doing anything, we’re in trouble. I consider how long I should wait before I propose the idea to Cathra, then I decide I might as well get it out of the way now.

            “We need to stop for awhile and rest.” I say. I take a few steps to my left and turn towards Cathra. Her black hair is falling around her face, her eyes are glazed over, and her body is covered with sweat. She thought it would be a good idea to wear a sports bra and shorts for the walk. Unfortunately for her, the sun still gives Firebenders sunburn. I can already see that she will have some major burns to deal with by tomorrow.

            “O-“ Cathra pants. “Okay.” She looks into the shaded forest behind me with hunger in her eyes. I turn around and start making my way through the sticks and green shrubs. Every few feet, I see purple berries growing from vines that are almost draped around the bushes, and I resist the urge to eat them. They’re poisonous Crystal berries, and they cause serious hallucinations and mess with other brain functions when they’re consumed. I ate one, once back home. One was all it took before I was trying to find where the Avatar was hiding in my kitchen cupboard.

            After about twenty minutes of walking, I decide we have found the nicest spot we could find. We are right by a freshwater stream, and the trees have low branches that we can climb if we need to. It is in the middle of a dirt clearing, so there will be no need to worry about small animals or insects sneaking up on us to give us grief.

            I unceremoniously declare our resting spot by throwing my duffle bag on the ground and sitting on top of it. I look at Cathra, whose eyes are still glazed over. She is carrying a duffle bag a lot like mine, except hers is red and has a gold lock on the zipper. I wonder what she could possibly have in there that requires a lock. Jewelry, perhaps. Maybe top-secret Fire Nation war documents that she reads before she goes to bed with a cup of tea. I honestly don’t care what she has in her bag, as long as it doesn’t explode.

            She puts her bag down a few feet away from me. I hear a faint _clink_ come from inside it. Instead of devoting energy asking what the noise was, I point at the stream. “That water is freshwater, if you’re thirsty.”

            Cathra’s eyes go wide, and she swiftly stumbles in the direction of the stream. “I’d never thought I’d be so happy to see water in my life.” She says. I roll my eyes. Perhaps if she had listened to me and not drank her entire water bottle within the first thirty minutes of our walk, she would not be having as many problems as she’s having now.

            As Cathra begins to fill her water bottle, I find a flat patch of grass and sit on it. I take off my shoes and socks and enter a meditation pose. I bring my bare feet up onto my thighs and try to ignore the smell of my sweat. After a few moments of slow and deep breaths, I close my eyes. It takes me a few seconds more than normal to slow my heartbeat and settle my thoughts, but I eventually find my center.

            Inside my center, I can feel the energy of my chi spread through my body with every heartbeat. I feel the energy spread through my veins, giving my entire body a comforting sense of warmth. I take inhale deeply. I hold the breath while I visualize the air being changed inside me from gas to pure energy. Eventually my lungs begin to grow warm, and I quickly release the energy in a single exhalation.

            A far-away voice snaps me out of my meditation. “How did you do that?”

            I slowly open my eyes and see Cathra kneeling across from me. Her eyes are wide and scanning my entire face.

            “Do what?” I ask. I feel my heartbeat resuming it’s normal pace.

            “You took a breath and a white mist came out of your mouth.” Cathra looks in awe of me. I notice that sometime in the past ten or so minutes she put a bundle of hair up on her head in a traditional Fire Nation topknot. A golden Fire Nation symbol holds it in place with rigid gold bands.

            “Oh,” I say. “That. I can Energybend other Elements into energy. Like,” I begin. “If you shot a fireball at me right now, I could turn it into pure energy before it even hit me.”

            Cathra’s eyes grow wide. I can see the gears turning inside her head in the typical Fire Nation way; she is trying to think of ways to use my talent. “Why don’t you do that all the time?”

            I take a deep breath. “Because it takes a lot out of me, and it really requires my mind to be empty.” I recall the difficulty I just had turning the air inside me into energy. “I have to emerge myself into my chi, and that can be difficult.” I lie. It’s not difficult for me at all. I’ve been a natural at it since I was first Energybending.

            But it scares me. It’s like throwing myself into an abyss with only a fraying rope keeping me from falling. I don’t know when the rope will snap, but I know it won’t be able to hold me forever. I don’t even know what will happen if the rope were to snap. I had nightmares when I was younger about exploding in a ball of green light, and my skin totally disintegrating, and everything around me dying and burning to ashes.

            “Can all Energybenders do it?” Cathra asks.

            I shrug with only my shoulders. “I’ve never met anyone else that can do it.” Not even my father, who’s one of the greatest masters of Energybending, doesn’t know how I can do it. When I was younger and first realized I could change elements into energy, he tried for months to replicate my talent. He brought the other three Energybending masters from the other three Nations, and they couldn’t figure it out either.

            Once, he brought a young looking man who had pure white eyes. I thought the bald man was blind at first, but he seemed to look inside me. He handed me a piece of rock and instructed me to shift it’s element into energy. It took me awhile to do it, because back then I was absolutely terrified of my powers, but I did it. The man told me, in a deep voice that resonated through my mind, not to be afraid of my power.

            Then I heard him tell my father later that night that what I was doing was impossible, and I’ve never forgotten it. I’ve been scared of myself ever since.

            Cathra smiles, totally oblivious to my inner conflict. “That’s really cool, Aelius.” A warm shiver of energy runs down my spine. The Energybending masters say that since the center of Energybending chi is in the brain, we’re much more susceptible to feeling subconscious cues and thoughts. Some people say that we have a “danger-sense” and a “future-sight.” It’s not uncommon for Energybenders to have visions of the future. No one believes us when we try to explain it to non-Energybenders, but the visions are always correct.

            I look up at the sky through a gap in the trees. The sun is starting to fall from the sky, but it’s not getting too dark to see yet. “We have a few more miles to go before we reach Republic City.” I tell Cathra. I look at her, and see that she’s still staring at me. We make eye contact for a few seconds, and then Cathra looks away, her cheeks red.

            I feel another small pulse of energy shimmer down my spine. I figured that Cathra had feelings for me from the get-go and that that was a very influential aspect of her offer of employment to me. I just hope that she didn’t expect me to fall head over heels for her because she’s the princess of the Fire Nation.

            I break the awkward silence. “It’s up to you whether or not we keep moving or if we stay here for the night.” A few of my jackets could be turned into makeshift blankets, and Cathra can make us a fire. Berries can provide food, and if she wants meat I can go hunting. We could survive forever out in this forest, hypothetically.

            Cathra looks at the ground for a few moments while messing with her topknot. “We should keep moving.”

            I smile visibly, but I’m sighing mentally. Walking means more questions.


	6. Part One: The Path (II)

_"The rock in the river's path will always give in to the flow of the water, given enough time."_

_-General Iroh, Meditations from the Wall_

When the gravel road turns to pavement, I know that we've finally reached Republic City. I feel like I'm not presentable to the world, sweaty and dirty and disheveled. If my father were to find out that my first real visit to Republic City was in my camp clothes, he would probably disinherit me.

Then again, he's considering doing it anyways, so maybe it won't be such a big deal.

I rub the bottom of my duffel bag. A hard shape pokes out a part of the fabric, and I grasp it. I hope my armor isn't scratched; I can't have it repaired in Republic City without the gossip columns making a scandal out of it. I'm going to have to change into my armor soon. Where, I don't know. I could go off into the forest, but I could get lost. Perhaps Aelius could go with me. He wouldn't look, I know that for certain. I wish he would, but he doesn't. I just want his attention, really.

I sigh. Aelius looks back at me and smiles. "We're almost there," He says, totally misinterpreting my action. "You'll be in a comfortable bed soon enough, Princess." He gives me a crooked smile that makes me feel like fire is going through my body. Any bed with you in it, I fantasize in my head, will be the best bed in the Four Nations.

I equip my best royal tone, and announce "I need to get into better attire before we reach the city." I cringe, desperately hoping that Aelius isn't turned off- not like he was ever turned on- by my station.

Aelius doesn't even blink. "I was going to suggest that," he says. "I should probably change into something more appropriate as well." He groans. "And you'll need me to start carrying your bag, I assume."

I hadn't thought of that, but I nod my agreement. Princess duties come before my fantasy relationship with Aelius. "Please" is all I say.

Aelius slows down, and looks into the forest to our side. It's much sparser than it was a few miles back. And since it's starting to get dark, I will need a light. I can't generate fire and get dressed at the same time. Aelius seems to realize this, as he follows me under the trees. After a few moments, the shadows of the trees vanish, and the entire area is illuminated by a radiant bright light.

I turn my head to see Aelius holding a ball of white light above his hand. He grins, and the light glints on his teeth. "Thought you might want a lantern, but I couldn't find one."

I giggle much more than I normally would. I put my duffel bag on the ground, and Aelius immediately turns his back on me. I roll my eyes. I dig through my bag to find my dress clothes that I normally wear under my armor. The top consists of an elaborate red and burgundy tunic, and the bottom is a matching set of pants.

I take my clothes off, and make sure to find new undergarments to wear. I pick a red set to show my patriotism, though no one will be able to see it under all my clothing. Which doesn't bother me a bit. I pull my dress on over my legs, and then pull the crimson top on over my torso. I throw my old clothes in an unceremonious pile by my duffel bag.

As I pull out my armor, I look at Aelius. He's as still as a statue, his duffel bag at his feet. "You can change behind a tree, if you want." Or, I say inside my head, you could change right here in front of me and let me see that gorgeous body of yours.

Aelius nods, and moves his hand out from under the floating energy sphere. The sphere remains in place, and he goes off a few yards away. He moves behind a tree, and I sigh and turn around. One day, I tell myself as I pull out my armor from the bottom of my bag. One day.

Fire Nation armor has changed a lot over the past hundred years. After the end of the Hundred Year War, it became more ceremonial than useful. It changed from having burgundy metal plates to having cloth wrappings and golden tassets. When my father first became Fire Lord, he publically announced how wimpy the new armor design was. He ordered the finest armorsmiths in the Fire Nation to come up with new designs that were fit, he said, for the greatest people in the world.

Fire Nation armor is now a remake of the armor worn during the Hundred Year War, but now the plates are a shade darker, and the trimming of the armor is blood red instead of the crimson it was before. And that's the only two changes they made visually. My father could have just said that he wanted the armor from the last war, but that would have been too easy.

I put the plateskirt on over my pants. Next I lace up my traditional curled shoes which are the stupidest tradition the Fire Nation has. Then I put my chestplate on over my crimson dress shirt. I try to bring my hands around behind my back so that I can tie the knots to keep my armor tight and in place, but it's harder than usual. I typically have servants to do it for me. I swear under my breath.

"I'll assume that means you need help," Aelius says from behind me.

"Yes, please." I respond without turning around. I reach down to my duffel bag and pull out a brush. I might as well brush my hair too.

I feel Aelius pull tight on the strings, and I try to regain the air he squeezed out of my chest. "Loose armor," he says. "Is useless armor." I can practically hear him smiling.

"Armor that keeps you from breathing is useless, too." I respond, still brushing my hair.

Aelius laughs, and loosens the laces a little bit. I take a deep breath, thankful. "That's why Energybenders wear robes. Armor is easy to wear over them, and easy to conceal armor and weapons under them."

I turn around and see exactly what he means. Aelius is wearing a long white robe that almost drags against the ground. The ends of his sleeves are large, but not baggy. His hands pop out of his sleeves without any effort at all, and I can see that the sleeves end exactly around his wrists. Around his waist is a silver belt with a large buckle in the center. Even as amazing as the belt and robe is by itself, it's the robe's prime aspect that makes my jaw drop.

All along the sides of the robe, running along the sleeves, and in intricate patterns on the robe skirt and torso portion of the robe, are brilliant white lines. The lines, on their own, aren't the amazing part. The amazing part about the robe is that the lines are glowing. Radiant light shines out from them, and I can see the pulsating movements of energy running up and down the length of the lines.

Gingerly, I reach out and touch one of the lines, and immediately yank my hand back as a surge of energy runs through my body.

Aelius laughs, and for a moment the light shines brighter. His robe illuminates the entire forest around us. "The energy is there for the same purpose as why some Earthbenders wear gloves made out of rocks and why some Waterbenders cover their arms with water. It makes it a lot easier for me to just use my robes as a channel to bend energy, instead of having to generate it on my own."

I poke at a cloth portion of the robe and do not get electrocuted. "I guess people don't hug you when you're wearing those." I grin.

Aelius grins too, and the light reflected from his eyes give him the look of some sort of all-knowing being. "Exactly. And I'm a walking nightlight."

"Can you turn off the energy?" I ask.

Aelius nods, and he squints slightly for a second. The light fades away on his robe, and I can see that underneath where the light was shining from are simple grey lines. "The robe is like an extension of my body. Every Energybender has to earn their bending robe within the first ten years of their life, otherwise they have to make a walkabout across the entire world."

I shudder at the thought, and at the sudden darkness that now has fallen over the entire forest. There is no moon out tonight to illuminate the sky. Aelius sees me shudder and immediately produces another energy sphere to give us light. The one he made before died when he turned off the energy going through his robe.

After a few moments while I put away the clothes I had been wearing before, I stand straight up and put my hands on my hips. I push all of the hair out of my face, check my nails, and use my Firebending to quickly dry all of the sweat from my body.

Aelius grabs my duffel bag in one hand and holds his in his other hand. He then looks at me, smiles, and says, "Princess, it is time for us to enter the city."

Something is off by the tone of his voice, put I can't put my finger on the reason. So instead, I just smile and nod my head.

The city at night is astonishing. Lights shine from every window we pass, giant glowing signs illuminate the tops of giant buildings that scrap the sky at their peaks, and people hurry on their way to unknown destinations.

I look in every store window we pass. Aelius leans over as I look into the window of a dress shop. "Princess, there will be plenty of time to shop once we reach our destination," he whispers in my ear. I feel his warm breath push softly at my hair. I nod and we move on.

I'm beginning to get sick of Aelius's princess routine. He's not my servant, but he's acting like he is. I'm beginning to regret using my royal voices and commands and other things of the sort. I'll need to tell him later that he isn't my servant, just a friend keeping me company on my travels. He does not need to treat me like royalty; if I wanted to be treated that way I could go back home.

I sigh. It's my fault for pulling the princess card, I suppose.

We stop at a street corner to allow cars to go past. I'm still awestruck by the entire city. We wait for the light on the other side of the street to signal that it is safe for us to walk.

Aelius has been relatively silent, and I try to draw him out of it. "Have you ever been to Republic City?" I ask, still focusing on the signal light.

"Many times." Aelius says. "I've lived here for most of my life."

The signal light changes, and we walk across the street. Aelius stays behind me and to the right of me, which is ironic considering I have no idea where we are going. "Where did you live?" I ask.

"Make a right." Aelius tells me.

"Huh?" I ask.

"Turn right here." He repeats softly.

I look to my right. "You lived over there?" I ask. I'm looking at a seedy looking building across the intersection with a sign above the door saying "Wuda Wang's Wonders."

"No," Aelius says. "We have to cross the street here."

"Oh," I say softly. I quickly make my way across the road, looking at the cracks in the pavement. I can't believe I could be so stupid as to not know what he meant.

Suddenly, I hear a loud horn blare to my side. I turn around to see a monster of a truck speeding towards me, it's lights shining right in my eyes. I freeze, unsure of what to do. I'm standing as still as a statue. My body doesn't allow me to move. I can't take my eyes off the truck, but I can't get out of the way. Fear makes me tremble.

"Cathra!" Aelius yells.

A bright light illuminates the intersection. My friends back home always made jokes about how when people are dying, they are supposed to go towards the light. I desperately plead to whatever Spirits are watching me that my death won't be painful.

I hear asharp fizzle, and I feel a huge thing hit me in my side. I'm knocked off of my feet and go flying all the way across the road. I see the truck speed right over the spot where I just had been. Instead of stopping, the thing keeps propelling me through the air. I look over and see that I'm rapidly approaching a hard brick wall.

I scream and have a vision of being smashed against the unforgiving brick wall, my bones shattering as a prelude to my death…

I close my eyes and hear a faint crack. I imagine my bones breaking as I die, blood splattering everywhere…

I hit a wall. Somehow I bounce off it as if it was made of rubber. I fall back on top of the thing that hit my side.

I open my eyes and see that I'm staring up at the night sky. I can barely make out the stars because of all the light pollution from the city.

I'm alive.

Sweet Agni I'm alive.

I hear deep breathing from under me, and realize my hand is clasping at a handful of white fabric. I turn my head to the side and realize I'm laying on top of Aelius's bending robe.

I feel the heartbeat under my back and realize not only am I laying on top of Aelius's robe, I'm laying on top of Aelius.

I push myself up with one hand and look down at my savior. Aelius has a single bead of sweat running down his face. His light grey eyes are calm, and I can almost see my reflection in his pupils.

"You saved my life, again." I say softly. Gratitude and warmth rush up into my chest.

Before Aelius can say the modest response that I know is coming, I lean over and kiss him on the lips. His lips are warm, and when my lips touch his, I feel a surge of pure energy rush through my body. I love the sensation, so I just kiss him harder. Aelius kisses me back passionately, not completely refusing me like I was worried that he would.

The entire scene takes only a minute, but it feels like an eternity. I wish it was an eternity. When we're done, I lean back. Aelius's face is red, and I can feel the heat in my cheeks. We just kissed, an Energybender and the Fire Nation princess, in the middle of a street. The gossip columns will be ablaze with this event by tomorrow morning.

Aelius and I look at each other for a few seconds, and then I get up off him. I see that he somehow managed to save me from the truck and bring our bags over at the same time. I grin. I don't know how he saved me, and I honestly don't care. It's just one more amazing thing about him.

Aelius gets up and then picks the bags back up, one in each hand. He points to his left down the sidewalk. "We only have a few more blocks to go before we get there." His voice sounds calm at first, but I realize that he stumbles with his words at the end of the statement. It dawns on me that he isn't sure about what just happened.

But I am sure about what just happened. I liked it.

I take a few steps closer to him and look up at him. I realize that he's only a few inches taller than me. I bring my chest up against his. "And then what?" I ask him.

Aelius's eyes seem to grow distant, and his light grey eyes look like storm clouds. "And then we can find some food."

As he leads me to our final destination, I groan inside my head. So close.

Aelius walks down the street, and I catch up to him. Instead of walking behind me, he now walks to my side. People see my topknot and armor and see his white robes and they move out of our way. Some people whisper to each other as we walk by, casting glances in our direction, but no one accosts us.

A few blocks later and the entire scenery changes as though we've stepped into another world entirely. The black pavement on the road has changed into tan brick with intricate designs. The shops have turned into massive gorgeous government buildings and fabulous restaurants. The people have changed as well, and are now wearing elaborate suits and dresses and robes. I see some with metal identification cards hanging from their clothes.

Neither Aelius nor I act any differently in this new scenery. I've been around powerful people my entire life, in my father's court and at expensive dinners and ceremonies. I don't know what Aelius's experience has been around these types of people, but he certainly knows his way around this part of the city.

A few people bow to me as I walk past. Others make a clear attempt to stay far away from me. Others see Aelius's robes and their eyes go wide as they find some other direction to walk. I try not to laugh at all the different reactions.

After awhile, we stop in front of a breathtaking building. It's a huge white marble palace. A white metal wall surrounds it, and I can see the tops of large fountains just inside the palace boundary.

I see pairs of guards patrolling the tops of the wall. They wear brilliant white chestplates with grey trimming over top of robes that look very similar to the bending robes that Aelius is wearing. They all are wearing white helmets that have no holes for breathing or for sight. The helmets are smooth metal. I see no way to take them off or put them on. A brief thought flies through my head and I wonder if the guards are actually machines.

Aelius and I walk along the outside of the wall for a few moments before we come to the entrance. I know it is the entrance because four guards are stationed in front of a huge white and grey door, each one holding a long metal pole with a glowing orb at the peak. They're standing at attention in between two medium sized guard towers. I can see that inside each guard tower are two more guards. One guard in each tower is holding a white bow that looks like it's made out of crystal. I don't see any arrows, so I don't know what the bows shoot.

Aelius approaches the guards with a duffel bag in each of his hands. I hurry behind him. People are sparse on this section of the street, but I still don't want to risk getting separated.

The two guards closest to the massive door silently turn their heads towards Aelius. I shiver, unnerved by the creepy faceless guards.

The guard to Aelius's right extends a white gloved hand, palm up. "Identification, please." His voice is emotionless.

Aelius reaches down to his belt buckle, and pushes the center of it. For the first time, I realize that the silver buckle has the insignia of a clenched fist. The fist sinks into Aelius's belt, and Aelius quickly yanks a small circle of crystal out of the bottom of his buckle. As he places it in the guard's open hand, I realize that all the guards are wearing similar buckles on their belts.

I realize that they're all Energybenders.

The guard clenches his hand, and the glove glows a bright yellow for a few moments. After the glow dies down, the guard hands the crystal disk back to Aelius. Aelius puts it back in his belt buckle as the guard bows at the waist. "Welcome back to the Regia," the guard says emotionlessly and without any change in tone. "Brother Aelius."

Aelius ignores the words of the guard, or at least I think he does. "I have the Fire Nation Princess with me." He tells the guard.

The guard looks at me and bows, although not as low as he did for Aelius. "Princess Cathra," the guard says. "Welcome to the Regia."

I follow Aelius's lead and ignore the creepily-armored guard. A few moments later the guard turns around towards the massive white door. The guard across from him does the same. Simultaneously, both guards extend their free hands towards the door. With a stomp of their back foot, they pull their hands back.

The door vanishes. Just past it I can see a massive courtyard with white robed people walking about. I see one of the fountains, and the water dances around in a colorful display of the entire rainbow. Fantastical berry bushes line the sidewalks, and I see some people sitting on benches in between flower arrangements.

If entering the upper district of Republic City was like entering a new world, entering the Regia is like walking into a dream.

Aelius walks through the now-empty gateway, and I hurriedly follow close behind him. Once we get through the gateway, I stop and turn around just in time to see the guards wave the orbs mounted on top of their poles in front of where the gate had been a few seconds previously. With an effect akin to water rippling, the massive gate comes back into existence.

"How did they-" I start.

"Brother Aelius of the Impera Clan and Princess Cathra of the Fire Nation," a voice behind me says calmly. I turn around and see a young girl with grey hair and light blue eyes standing in front of Aelius. She's wearing a plain white robe with only a single grey line running across her waist. She's bowing deeply. "My name is Cae. If you would like, I will show you to your quarters."

Aelius bows slightly to Cae. "That would be appreciated." Aelius says in a monotone voice. I realize that Aelius must be a member of a powerful Energybending family, and that's why he has such great manners and poise. He must have grown up like I did.

Cae looks at Aelius's and my bags. "Would you like me to carry your bags, Brother Aelius?"

Aelius drops the bags on the ground without answering. Cae doesn't flinch; while the bags are falling she clenches her hands and pulls them towards her chest. The two bags halt mid-fall, and I see small panes of energy form underneath them. Cae brings her fists to her waist, and pulls back on her arms. The bags float towards her and move closer together. Then Cae swings her hands over her head, and both bags are encapsulated in a web of energy.

I try very hard not to gasp, but I think a little one escapes me. All this Energybending is astounding. I'd never even seen someone Energybend until last night, and everything that these Energybenders are doing is probably novice-level stuff.

Suddenly, Cae's eyes grow wide. She throws herself to the ground and lies prostrate. For a moment, I think that she's showing deference to Aelius, but when Aelius turns around, I see his eyes go wide too.

By the time I turn around, Aelius is already on one knee. He brings his right arm across his chest in some sort of weird salute, and he bows towards the ground, leaving me standing like an idiot.

A man, who is accompanied by two Energybender guards, is standing before us wearing robes similar to Aelius's, except his robe is glowing with a royal purple light. The man has light grey eyes and light brown hair, just like Aelius. The man has a scar running down the left side of his face, from his left eyebrow to his cheekbone. The man looks at me, tilts his head, and I see the corners of his mouth move in a small smile.

Aelius is the first one to speak. "Master Antonius. It is an honor to be in your presence again." His voice is emotionless.

I realize that I should be kneeling like Aelius is doing, so I hurry to do so. Master Antonius just laughs, and it's a gravely laugh that sounds like it's rarely ever been used. When he speaks, his voice sounds like it's coming from far away. "Ah, Aelius, my son. What brings you here so early?"


	7. Part One: The Path (IV)

" _The flow of life is as the river; it has its rapids and it has its smooth waters. But never does the water stop. Always in motion, life is."_

_-Master Antonius of Clan Impera to his son, Aelius of Clan Impera_

The eternal lights of Republic City seem to do nothing to illuminate the dark streets of the Crescent Moon district. Making sure to keep my hood up and my hair hidden from sight, I walk past all the seedy bars and "motels" that make the Crescent Moon the seediest and most corrupt district in all of the City. Sitting along the cracked sidewalks are the occasional drunks, the beggars, and the women who have to sell their bodies to make enough money to eat.

I step over a man who is either passed out or dead. In the Crescent district, one is as likely as the other. The people living in the upper districts don't understand what exactly causes the Crescent district to be as dark and disgusting as it is, and most of them don't care. The President has tried to put people in charge of cleaning it up, but all the money that is set aside for the district disappears into the dark pockets of the corrupt officials that preside over the district.

I hear laughter and breaking glass through an open door as I walk by. There was a time when I would have gone inside and see if anyone needed my help, but those times are long gone.

I keep walking. I look down at the cracks in the sidewalk, and make certain not to make eye contact with anyone walking by.

"Hey, man, you want some of the good stuff?" A man on the sidewalk asks me. I look up for a second and see the dirty man holding out a thick bundle of leaves. "Cheap, only thirty Yuan."

I keep walking. I tried some of the drugs the dealers offer before, a few years back. After once or twice, I realized that the high wasn't worth the side effects. It took me two months before the cravings went away. Since then, I never indulged myself in the hallucinations that I could get lost in.

A large car drives over the mottled street. A few dirty hands are sticking out of the car's broken windows, brandishing dusty bottles of a yellow substance. I make certain to stay out of their way. Cars hit people a lot here. Drunks do not pay attention to massive objects flying their direction. The people that give up on life don't bother waiting for cars to kill them, though. They use knives.

I wait under a streetlamp for a few cars to go by. The lamp flickers a few times, and then the light bulb finally dies. Through sheer force of will, I do not sprint across the street. I continue waiting for the cars to go by, and once they're all gone, I cross the street.

I hear footsteps following me.

I do not speed up my steps.  _We're just going in the same direction_ , I tell myself.  _Nothing to be worried about_.

I reach the other side of the street, and I hear the footsteps quiet down behind me. Quickly, I turn around, and see a tall figure walking away from me.

I sigh. That could have ended badly.

I turn back around, and return my hands back to the pockets of my jacket. I shift uncomfortably as I turn a corner. I quickly scan both sides of the street. It looks normal, and no one gives me any attention, so I keep walking down the street. In the distance, I see a large yellow sign that says "Golden Dragon Café." I almost jump with joy, but I restrain the emotion.

I do, however, quicken my pace now that my destination is in sight. A few beggars ask me for money, and more than one try to tell me their sob stories. I've heard every lie in the Crescent Moon, every attempt for sympathy. If I were to tell my story, and sit on the corner like them, I wouldn't get any more attention than they do.

I realize, after a few streetlights, that I'm rubbing the silver ring on my right hand with the side of my thumb. A memory comes back to me, of screams and the sound of convulsing muscles.

Without thinking about it, I close my eyes. "Go away, go away, go away!" I whisper under my breath.  _Not now, not now,_ I silently beg. I can't start crying in the middle of the sidewalk. Someone will see my weakness.

I open my eyes. I don't feel any wetness on my face, so I keep walking. I don't look anyone in the eye. I do not rub my ring. I do not respond to anyone. I just keep walking.

"Hey, girlie," I hear a voice say. Without thinking, I turn around. A tall man stands there, a yellow grin pointed at me. He's wearing a torn shirt, and from seven feet away I can smell the alcohol on his breath and clothes.

With a trembling hand, I feel for my hood. It's down. I realize that it must have fallen down when I turned to look at the man that followed me across the street.

The man takes a few steps closer, under the yellow streetlamp light. I see unshaven stubble on his face, and a nose that looks like it's been broken more than a few times. "What say you and I go back to my place," he slurs out.

"N-n-n-no thank you," I stutter out. Spirits, not now. Please don't do this to me.

The man smirks, and pulls a small object out of his pocket. He flicks a wrist, and I see a metal glint flick out. "How about we just enjoy ourselves right here, then?" He brandishes his knife. "Plenty of space."

I take a few steps back, and then turn and run. I feel my hair play out behind me. I don't bother to put my hood back up; everyone's already seen me. I pass by a dark alleyway. It looks deserted, so I turn back around and run into it.

My footfalls make loud echoes against the dirty concrete. I run by a disgusting dumpster, and I hide behind it out of view of the alley entrance.

I wait a few minutes. I close my eyes, and take a few deep breaths. That was a close call. I don't hear anything now, except the normal sounds of the district. I stand up from my hiding spot.

And I feel a rough hand grab my neck.

In the darkness, I see the outline of the drunk man. "Knew I'd find a dirty girl like you waiting for me. They always do."

I try to struggle out of his grasp, but he is too strong. He's not choking me completely, so I can still breath. "Just let me go, I'll give you anything. Please!" I beg.

The dark man laughs, and I hear the unzipping of a zipper. I see the outline of his knife as the hand holding it begins to unzip my jacket.

My heart begins to pound. I look around for some sort of escape from this nightmare, but I don't see anything. I look in the man's dark eyes and see only his lust. Desperation drives people to do insane things, and this man is desperate.

He takes my jacket off, and leans back to admire his handiwork. He probably can't see anything because of the darkness, so he's probably drunkenly imagining what my shirt is covering.

The man lessens his grasp on my neck. "My, you're a beauty, aren't you girlie?"

I don't answer, because I'm feeling a familiar feeling come over me. My body almost trembles in fear, and I feel one of my hands come up of its own accord.

My fingers move like spider legs, and the man lets go of my neck. I hear gurgles coming from his throat, and he is thrown a few feet away from me.

I raise my arm, and the man rises into the air. The man starts to scream, but I bring up my other arm and twist it. The man's jaw slams shut with an audible  _clack_.

I feel the power run through me. "You have no idea." I say. I feel the darkness in my voice as my power runs through me. I take a deep breath as through I can inhale the darkness from the alleyway. I feel the man's blood run through his body. It's just like heavier water. I can feel his muscles under my control, and I can feel his heat beating as fast as a lop-eared rabbit.

I smile. Moving my arms with jerking motions, I bring the man closer to me.

"Please," he drunkenly begs. "Let me go!"

I look at the hand still holding the knife. A thought comes to me, and I imagine making the man slit his own stomach open. I imagine the rich red liquid pouring out of him in retribution for what he almost did to me…

I blink a few times. A red haze seems to fade away from my vision, and I look at my hands. They begin to tremble. The man drops to the dirty ground, gasping like a fish.

I ignore him, and look at my hands. I feel something grasp at my stomach, and I look down and see that nothing is there.

_Spirits, I almost did it again._

I sprint out of the alleyway and run all the way down the sidewalk. I feel tears running down my face, and I try to wipe them away. But they keep coming. I try to fight them, but they keep pouring down my face.

I make it to the clean handles of the Golden Dragon Café, and I throw open the door. Through my blurry vision, I see several round tables spread across the Café. Only a few people are here this time of night. One of them, an old man wearing a tattered yellow apron, is sweeping the floor. He turns to look at me, a smile on his face.

When he sees me, his smile vanishes. "Terumi," he says, concern in his voice. He drops his broom and hurries over to me. "What happened?" He asks?

I fall into his arms, sobbing. I try to form words, but they aren't coherent. The old man just pats me on the back, saying words in an attempt to comfort me, but they don't work.

I realize that the man has led me over to a table in a corner of the Café. He snaps his fingers and orders someone to bring him a pot of tea. I can't see anything through my blurry eyes, so he helps me sit down in a chair. I put my head on the clean wooden table, and I continue sobbing. I'm a monster. A witch. I wanted to hurt that man instead of just running. I wanted to…

I wanted to kill him.

I sob harder.

"Teru," the old man says. His voice is old and wise. "The flying bison that does not shed in the heat will die from the heat." I hear the comforting noise of flowing water, and I raise my head an inch in order to see the old man pouring a dark liquid into two teacups. "Now shed your fur, and tell me what happened."

I move into an upright position, and wave my hand. The tears float free of my face and fall onto the floor. "A man," I start. My voice is still wavering, but I try to keep it steady. "Chased me into an alley."

"Say no more, my child." The old man says. "Drink your tea."

I do as he commands. The tea tastes strong, and it makes me blink a few times. I drain my entire cup in a few swift gulps. I place the cup back on the saucer. "I hurt him." I say more to myself than the man.

The old man nods. "If you did not," he says firmly. "He would have hurt you, and abused your womanhood." He looks at me with firm golden eyes.

"I wanted to…" I start to say, but the man silences me with his eyes.

"You would have had every right to, my child," The man sips from his tea. "But you did not."

I remember the feeling of the drunken man's muscles under my control. "I'm a monster. I'm a danger to everyone I'm around." The words start pouring out of me like a torrent of water. "To you, to everyone in Republic City-"

"My child," the old man says firmly. I look at him as I feel the tears running down my face. "You have a gift." He refills my teacup, and I look down at my still-trembling hands.

"Everyone in this world can bend a certain element," the man continues. "There have been no nonbenders for the past forty years. Are we all monsters?"

"No! You're not. My parents weren't." I fight back the memories of my parents.

"The Spirits gave you the gift to bend the waters of the oceans and of life itself. That in itself is a blessing." The man takes a sip of his tea.

"You can shoot lightning," I begin to say. "And control fire. I need to be around water in order to use my powers. You just create fire out of nowhere."

The old man smiles at me. "Fire burns, lightning kills. Water heals. How am I not a monster, when compared to a young girl like you?"

I look down at my reflection in my tea. I see my mother in my soft face. "You aren't."

The old man reaches over and places his wrinkled hand on mine. "If I am not, then you are not as well."

I look up at the old man. His orange eyes remind of the comforting heat from a fireplace during the coldest months. I bring my hands to my chest and bow in my seat. "Thank you, Admiral Sozin. Your wise words bring comfort to me."

The old man laughs, his frail body moving up and down with youthful energy. "My days as an Admiral are long past, my young friend. Giving comfort to friends is a lot simpler than serving in the Navy."

I look around the Café. On the walls are gorgeous hand drawn pictures of the Fire Nation islands and the walls of Ba Sing Sae. I even see a picture of a dragon flying into a sunset. The people in the Café pay little attention to the pictures. They're much more focused on the superb tea and the safety that the Golden Dragon has to offer.

The man looks at me as I look around the Café. "You could stay here for tonight, if you wish. I can imagine if you don't want to sleep on the streets, tonight."

I look at the old man. I've known the Admiral since I was born, but never has he shown me as great a kindness as tonight. "Are you sure that would be ok?" I ask, not believing his offer.

The aged Admiral closes his eyes and nods. "I can have Leau Song prepare a cot for you in one of the spare rooms upstairs."

I think for a while about the offer. "Can I help around the kitchen?" I ask the Admiral.

The man looks up at me. "You cannot just accept my gift, can you Terumi?" He sighs. "You can clean the floors. I will bring you a bucket."

The Admiral stands up and begins to walk away. As he places his hand on the doorknob to the kitchen, he turns around. "Terumi," He says.

"Yes, Admiral?" I ask.

"I'm proud of you for not killing that man." He says solemnly, and then he opens to the door to the kitchen.

As he walks through the door, a little voice speaks out inside my heart.

_You monster._

 

In my dreams, I see my mother. Her silky brown hair runs down her back in a single braid. She walks across a icy lake towards me, her white dress flowing around her like water. I try to open my mouth and speak, but I can't let out a single word.

"I love you, Terumi." Her voice sounds like it's underwater. "I love you, Terumi."

I open my eyes and jerk myself awake. I know how the dream ends, and I don't want to spent another night curled up in a ball crying.

Instead, I roll over and try to go back to sleep. The thin blankets that the Admiral gave me keep the cold Republic City night from my skin.

"Its time you paid your money, old man."

I hear a gruff voice from downstairs. Then I hear the Admiral's calm and authoritative voice.

"I do not owe you anything. Unless you would like some tea, get out of my shop."

I imagine the scene downstairs. It's probably one of the gangs that force "protection money" out of shop owners in the district. They have probably brought some muscle to back them up too, because everyone knows that Admiral Sozin is a masterful Firebender. Its why the Café is a place of solace for so many.

Without thinking, I immediately fumble for my clothes in the darkness. I pull on my shirt and pants and hurry downstairs.

The sight is exactly what I expected. Two huge men are flanking Admiral Sozin while a smaller one orders him to pay his "protection fee." The Admiral is wearing a light yellow robe, and his grey hair is up in a traditional Fire Nation topknot.

One of the muscular men looks at me. "Boss," he says in a deep voice. "Problem."

The small man looks around the Admiral at me. The Admiral turns as well, and his eyes go wide. "Terumi, go back up stairs!"

The small man looks at me with sharp green eyes. "Well hello, dolly? Come to save your grandpop?" The small man flicks a grey finger, and I realize his hands are coated with stone. "Gentleman, make the girl feel comfortable."

The two massive men start walking towards me. One of them coats his hands with flame, and the other one summons a sphere of air to his side.

I look around the Café. My eyes lock onto the bucket of water that I used to clean the floor with earlier. I summon the water to my hands just in time to block a fireball coming towards me.

The Airbender directs a gust of wind towards my legs, and I jump up over it. I make a circular motion with my arms, and the stream of water swings around towards the Firebender's head. He ducks, but the Airbender gets slammed in the cheek. He returns with a blast of air, and I take most of it in the center of my chest.

I get knocked back against a table, and I see the Admiral trading blows with the small man. Before I can come to his aid, I twirl off the table to avoid getting hit with a stream of fire that breaks the table in half.

I summon my water back to me, and I begin to spin it around my chest in a circle. I move my hands in circular arcs, and two whips of water extend from the ring around my body to surge towards the two large men.

The Airbender dodges it, and the Firebender merely takes the blow on one of his arms. I see my whip cut his forearm, but he doesn't make any acknowledgement of pain.

I continue attacking with my whips, making long sweeps in both men's direction. They dodge them all as I realize how outmatched I am.

The Firebender kicks towards me, and a powerful blast of fire hurtles towards me. I duck, but the motion causes me to lose control of my whips. The water drops to the wooden floor. The Airbender takes advantage of this, and summons a gust of air to lift me up in the air and slam me against the ceiling.

My vision blacks out with the impact, and I fall to the floor. I slowly get back up, and I see both men towering over me.

One of them kicks me in the ribs. The other just laughs. "Stay down, doll, unless you  _really_ want to get hurt."

I groan, and my head falls down to the wood. The wood is damp, and I realize I'm lying in a growing puddle of blood.  _My_ blood. I weakly run my hand over my head, and I feel a patch of damp hair. I bring my hand to my face and realize that I must have cut my head when I hit the ceiling.

I groan, and my vision starts to grow blurry. I see the two men grab Admiral Sozin from behind. I reach a hand out in a feeble attempt to stop them.

A drop of blood rises in front of my eye. It's only a single drop, but the thick liquid seems to call to me.

 _Do it_. A voice inside me whispers.  _You can save him._

I close my eyes. I can't. I'll hurt someone again.

A memory stirs, and I remember Admiral Sozin's words a few hours earlier.

" _My child, you have a gift."_

I open my eyes, and the world takes on a tint of crimson. I stand up, feeling the power surge through my body again. I raise a hand, and the men holding Sozin freeze.

I raise my other arm, and I flick my wrists in opposite directions. The two men crash into opposing walls, the Airbender knocking down a few pictures on impact.

The small Earthbender looks at me. I see a knife in his hands, and it's pointed towards Sozin's chest. "Now, dolly, we were only messing around, ok?"

I think of the knife the drunken man had threatened me with earlier. He was only trying to "mess around" too.

I raise a hand, and make a fist. The man holding the knife rises into the air. His body trembles under my power. "It's all fun and games," I say. I feel the power coursing through my veins, and I feel the man's every breath and muscle under my command.

I make a shoving motion, and the man flies out the golden doors of the Café. "Until someone get's hurt." I finish. The crimson tint vanishes from the world, and I fall to my knees. The world turns black, and I pass out.

But not before I hear the Admiral curse under his breath. "My child, my child." He says. "We really have to work on your sense of humor."


End file.
